
MON
Ell
ing us back to Him, while all along He exclaims, "And my people are bent
to backsliding from me. . . . How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall
I deliver thee, Israel? . . . mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are
kindled together. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger" (Hosea
11:7-9).
God punishes for our good.
"Humbled in the sight of the nations,
those who once had been recognized as favored of Heaven above all other
peoples of the earth were to learn in exile the lesson of obedience so neces-
sary for their future happiness. Until they had learned this lesson, God
could not do for them all that He desired to do. 'I will correct thee in
measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished,' He declared in
explanation of His purpose to chastise them for their spiritual good.
Jeremiah 30:11. Yet those who had been the object of His tender love were
not forever set aside; before all the nations of the earth He would demon-
strate His plan to bring victory out of apparent defeat, to save rather than
to
destroy."—Prophets and Kings,
p. 475.
3.
What does the Lord mean when He says that He is jealous over
His people? Zech. 1:14; 8:2; compare Eze. 39:25; 2 Cor. 11:2.
"Unrequited love involved God in deep emotion which the Holy Spirit
was not afraid to,
express in terms of human emotions, anger, jealousy,
love. Nowhere in the Old Testament is God portrayed as impassive, aloof,
uninvolved with our world. The utter holiness of His love only intensifies
the suffering involved when that love is rejected, and His desire to save
men from the death towards which they are heading is something we only
dimly appreciate (Ezk. 18:23, 31, 32)."—Joyce G. Baldwin,
Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi
(Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press, 1972),
pp. 98, 99.
Positive jealousy.
The Hebrew word translated "jealousy" can be
neutral, expressing either a positive or negative feeling depending on the
context. When "jealousy" is motivated by selfishness it culminates in
hatred. The opposite is true when "jealousy" is motivated by caring and
concern for others. It culminates in love. "Jealousy" is a powerful expres-
sion of the righteous determination to protect, defend, and restore.
Moreover, it can chastise, rebuke, and defend the object of its love.
For Personal Reflection.
What kind of jealousy do
I
have in my inter-
personal relationships and my relationship with God and His work? How
do
I
feel when I see my friends and colleagues having more and doing bet-
ter than I? How do
.I react when I see injustice, falsehood, and oppression,
or when I see the name of a good person tarnished? How do
I
feel when I
hear God's name maligned?
4.
Why was the Lord displeased with the nations that had taken Is-
rael captive? What did He plan to do to these nations? Zech. 1:15;
compare Isa. 47:1-6; Amos 1:11.
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